Rising seas, real risks: Chatham seeks community input on climate strategy
Rising seas, real risks: Chatham seeks community input on climate strategy
Watch: Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge buildings demolished
The visitors center and offices at the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge on Morris Island in Chatham demolished as erosion advances.
Coastal roads are flooding more often. Beaches are falling back. Storms are getting more fierce. As the effects of climate change become increasingly visible in Chatham, town leaders are turning to the people who know the community best to help shape a local response.
In partnership with the Chatham Climate Action Network, the Energy and Climate Action Committee is conducting a community survey asking those who live and work in Chatham to share their concerns, experiences and ideas for facing climate change.
“The inspiration came from our growing need to better understand local perspectives and priorities as we plan for the future,” said Natural Resources Director Greg Berman.
The 12-question survey, he said, “is a step in implementing the Select Board’s goal of integrating climate change projections with decarbonization initiatives to ensure environmental sustainability, promote coastal resiliency, and protect Chatham’s natural resources over the next five years.”
“We’re asking the community to help shape climate strategies that are grounded in local experience, responsive to community values, and aligned with the town’s broader vision for a more resilient Chatham,” Berman said.
Prompted in part by findings from the 2022 Massachusetts Climate Change Assessment, the survey focuses on climate-related risks that are particularly relevant to Cape Cod. Those include rising ocean temperatures, sea level rise, more destructive storms, and the growing threat of drought, wildfires, and effects on public health as a result of hotter air temperatures.
“Chatham is already seeing the impacts of climate change in very real ways,” Berman said. “Coastal storms and rising sea levels have damaged critical infrastructure and public access points. Erosion is accelerating in vulnerable shoreline areas, and higher tides coupled with sea level rise are making some roads impassable more often, even without storm surges.”
These effects, he noted, “underscore the urgency of building local strategies that strengthen our coastal resiliency and safeguard the natural resources that are central to Chatham’s identity.”
Survey participants are asked to consider a range of questions — from their personal concerns about warming ocean and air temperatures, to how they’ve been affected by rising homeowners’ insurance costs, and whether they support new policies or funding for resilience measures.
Among the potential actions the town could take are:
- Risk assessments and planning for vulnerable isolated neighborhoods.
- Strengthening bylaws and regulations for areas at risk from sea level rise and flooding.
- Identifying septic systems vulnerable to rising groundwater.
- Developing shoreline management strategies.
- Expanding emergency preparedness outreach.
- Educating real estate professionals and the public about coastal risks.
- Planting shade trees and addressing threats to water supply and quality.
- Funding resilience efforts through local taxes or fees.
The survey, which runs through July 20, is the first of two. A second survey, to follow later this year, will address energy use and emissions reduction strategies.
To take part in the Chatham Community Climate Survey, visit: https://www.chatham-ma.gov/FormCenter/Boards-Committees-Forms-22/Chatham-Community-Climate-Survey-98
Heather McCarron writes about climate change, environment, energy, science and the natural world, in addition to news and features in Barnstable and Brewster. Reach her at hmccarron@capecodonline.com